Know Your Rights

December 10th will mark the 64th annual Human Rights Day, which seeks to commemorate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1948. The holiday was first observed in 1950 and has remained one of the UN’s most important holidays ever since.

Although the Declaration is comprised of a broad range of political, civil, social, cultural and economic rights, it is not a binding document. It has, however, inspired more the creation of more than 60 human rights treaties and legal documents, which together constitute an international standard of human rights. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, today serves as the main United Nations rights official. The Office, therefore, plays a significant role in coordinating efforts for the yearly observation of Human Rights Day.

For the 2014 celebration, the UN has drafted the slogan, ‘Human Rights 365’. Observers are encouraged to start a viral campaign via social media outlets, such as Facebook, Vine, and Twitter using the hashtag: #rights365